Aw, jeeze I was recently told that what I think is an amazing perfect combination of cheeses is merely the essential fondue cheese combination. This was understandably devastating to me, but I leave this post here only to serve as a warning the next time I think I have come up with anything. 🤣

This is yet another of my many generous gifts to the world. You’ve earned it.

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients

• A really crusty loaf of a sandwich bread, two slices, cut to no less than 0.5 inches (I aim for 3/4 in.)
• Whole leaf basil
• Butter
• Powdered cayenne pepper
• Gruyere (a rich tangy unpasteurized Swiss)
• Emmentaler (savory but mild, also Swiss)
• Sliced tomato if you’re into that sort of thing

Instructions

• Heat your griddle or pan to medium/medium-high heat.
• Butter one side of each slice of bread, and gently dust the butter with cayenne pepper powder. If you’re way into cayenne, go bananas.
• Flip one slice in, butter-side down.
• Layer thin slices of emmentaler side by side on the slice of bread.
• Place one or two pieces of whole leaf basil on the cheese.
• Layer thin slices of gruyere on top of basil.
• Lay the other slice of bread butter-side up.

Heat

• observe how toasted the bread is in relation to the cheese melt.
• You want to avoid scorching the bread so don’t rush this, you will be rewarded for patience by perfectly grilled bread and melted cheese.
• Flip the sandwich when you get a flash of the cayenne smoldering – you’re dangerously close to scorching the bread and butter.
• Flip when it happens again until cheese is melted together and bread is toasted and has a rust-colored crispy finish. Well done!

Finishing Touches

• Open this delicious gooey carapace and lay some sliced tomato in there.

I never like cooking the tomato in, and vastly prefer the texture of a chilled tomato giving way under each bite.

Conclusion

This is the finest grilled cheese I have ever made. I have tried other cheeses and vastly prefer the complementary nature of these two cheeses.

Enjoy with my compliments, and think of me fondly.

Unless you are lactose intolerant, in which case this has gone horribly wrong and I am very sorry.